Rockford artist Jeanne Ludeke will present her classic still life paintings in a Kortman Gallery exhibition titled “The Sibylline Still Life: A Return to Painting” opening Friday, June 4. Ludeke, who is best known for her portraits, has created luscious new oil paintings of food and ordinary objects inspired by such masters of still life as Adriaen Coorte and Hovsep Pushman.

“Like Pushman, I am interested in dramatizing the relationships of objects in a meditative atmosphere,” Ludeke writes in her artist’s statement. “And like Coorte, I prefer to center and elevate my subjects on a platform to enhance and dignify the ordinary.”

Ludeke began her studies in drawing, painting and art history at Northern Illinois University (NIU) and the University of of Salzburg, Austria, and completed a master’s in drawing at NIU in 1983. She has worked as a commissioned portrait artist and also taught art for many years. Only recently, she has returned to her personal work as an artist.

"Caravaggio Cupcake" by Jeanne Ludeke. Image provided

Many of her current paintings include alluring images of food, such as a red velvet cupcake placed in front of a background of a well-known painting. “These works are visually warm and inviting, and also stimulate your sense of taste and smell because of the realistic quality of the paintings,” says Kortman Gallery Director Doc Slafkosky. “Inspired by Jeanne’s art, we thought we’d take the gallery experience a step further and have freshly-baked cupcakes available at the opening. Caked, a new Rockford baking company, will be selling not only red velvet, but other artistically-inspired cupcakes during the event.”

The June 4 opening reception for “The Sybilline Still Life: A Return to Painting” by Jeanne Lukeke, will be from 5:30 to 9 p.m. upstairs in the Kortman Gallery at J.R. Kortman Center for Design, 107 N. Main St., downtown Rockford. For more information, call (815) 968-0123 or visit www.jrkortman.com.